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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday April 14 2020, @05:09AM   Printer-friendly
from the well-timed dept.

Cannonball Record Broken During Coronavirus - 26 Hours 38 Minutes:

Only a few months have passed since we reported that the New York-to-Los Angeles Cannonball record was broken. It's allegedly been broken again. The 26 hour, 38 minute time—which beats the record set in November by more than 45 minutes—appears to be legitimate, according to Ed Bolian, a Cannonball insider and driver who set his own 28 hour, 50 minute record in 2013. Alex Roy, who set the first modern NYC-to-LA record in 2006, also said the new claim is credible based on his analysis of multiple sources.

"It was not me," Bolian was quick to point out to Road & Track, eager to quell an Internet-generated rumor that perhaps he had been the one to pull it off.

[...] All we know about this new set of scofflaws is that there were three, maybe four of them, and that they were driving a white 2019 Audi A8 sedan with a pair of red plastic marine fuel tanks ratchet-strapped into its trunk. They started at the Red Ball Garage in New York City at 11:15 pm on April 4, and ended less than 27 hours later at the Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, California, the traditional start and end points of a Cannonball attempt.

We also know that their timing was awful. It doesn't seem likely that the new record-holders were keen to have news reach the public so soon, especially at a time when so many people are understandably on edge. But an exuberant friend posted a picture of the Audi on Facebook this week—situated among a number of other high-dollar cars, with its trunk open to show the auxiliary fuel tanks—along with the team's alleged time. Within a day, hundreds of people had shared the post, and social media chat groups were abuzz with Cannonball aficionados offering up opinions on the matter. (The Facebook post has since been removed; it's reproduced here via screengrab.)

"Do I think this is the best use of time while the country is staying in during a pandemic?" Bolian asked in an interview with R&T. "Probably not, but for me to say it's awful is like a cocaine dealer saying a heroin dealer is awful."

Also at NYTimes


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 14 2020, @01:31PM (1 child)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 14 2020, @01:31PM (#982571) Journal

    Yes, there is strategy involved. Having driven truck for several years, I've used a few. Know your route - as in, you've driven this route many times, and you already know where to slow down. It works pretty well. You can lure someone into running interference for you - Corvettes are famous for their need to pass a big truck, and stay ahead of that big truck. You can let the 'Vette get out ahead of you a couple miles, and just tag along all night long - or until a cop pulls him over. Running with a radar detector and a police scanner helps a lot, though you may not hear them over the motorcycle's engine and wind noise. A phone app might help.

    Back in the bad old days, I didn't have any of that. I just rode, and took my chances, then made a snap decision whether to run from the cop, or pull over.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday April 14 2020, @03:00PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday April 14 2020, @03:00PM (#982596)

    I only ever "ran" once - he hadn't put his blue lights on yet so it doesn't really count, but... I was doing 70 in a 45, around 1am on a 14 mile long island where I'd bet the only two vehicles on the road were me and the cop. He came around the bend toward me and I had the "oh shit" moment, let off the gas, I saw his brake lights come on and him start to U turn as he disappeared around the bend behind me. Suddenly, I realized that his jurisdiction ended about 1/2 mile ahead on the bridge, so I floored it again (100hp sedan, I might have made it up to 75mph) until I reached the short bridge, then I slowed to 30mph which was the limit on the other island. He came up over the bridge when I was maybe 1/4 mile into "not his island" and did a big U turn to go back home.

    Other times, I figured it would go better if I didn't make them call in backup, and it usually did.

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